A variety of metallocenes and single site-like catalysts have been developed to prepare olefin polymers. Metallocenes are organometallic coordination complexes containing one or more .pi.-bonded moieties (i.e., cyclopentadienyl groups) in association with a metal atom from Groups IIIB to VIII or the Lanthanide series of the Periodic Table of Elements. Catalyst compositions containing metallocenes and single site-like catalysts are highly useful in the preparation of polyolefins, producing relatively homogeneous copolymers at excellent polymerization rates while allowing one to tailor closely the final properties of the polymer as desired.
U.S Pat. No. 5,280,000 to Kakugo et al. discloses a catalyst composition for the polymerization of high molecular weight olefins consisting of a transition metal compound of the formula M(R).sub.l (OR').sub.m X.sub.n -(l+m)(wherein M is a transition metal atom, R and R' are hydrocarbyl groups of 1-20 carbons, X is a halogen, .gtoreq.0, m&gt;0, n-(l+m).gtoreq.0, and n is the valence of the transition metal), an aluminoxane, and optionally an organic compound having at least two hydroxyl groups and optionally an aryl group.
A new single site-like, olefin polymerization catalyst composition is described herein having good polymerization activity and productivity, which is easily and inexpensively prepared. The catalyst composition comprises a bis(hydroxy aromatic nitrogen ligand) transition metal catalyst precursor that is activated with a cocatalyst such as an aluminoxane.